Disaster Fire Relief

Disaster Fire Relief

Having worked disaster relief before, these are some things I’ve learned.  

People helping with things like clothing will get overwhelmed with the sorting.  Their energy would be better served if you either take new t-shirts, jeans, boots, tennis shoes, underwear and socks in packages which are clearly marked. Or…put gently used clothing in ziplock bags with sizes.  Please don’t overwhelm volunteers with items which are useless to those working the fires or recovering from great losses. 

Fireworkers will need work gloves, goggles, chapstick, eye drops, beef jerky, granola bars, nut bars, Gatorade early on. Eventually, homeowners will need tools like hammers, shovels, axes. Ranchers will need feed for animals. 

Homeowners will eventually need everything you need to set up a home—furniture, blankets, pots & pans, dishes, silverware, glassware. 

Find a church or benevolence ministry which has become a donation center and volunteer time and money. As you know of homeowners who have lost everything, set up accounts to help them. (Please note that certain funding apps take a large percentage of money). 

Pray with people Hug people. Minister with time, money, and what you have. Bring your gifts in an organized manner. And love big!  Emergencies always bring out the very best in Texans!!!

Being Fashioned

But now, O Lord,
You are our Father;
We are the clay, and You our potter;
And all we are the work of Your hand.

Isaiah 64:8

God has been fashioning you since you were in your mother’s womb. As I look at examples of God’s creations in the Bible, I’m thinking the process is our story—not the promise, the great moment, or the ending—it’s the process.  

For instance, let’s look at David.

1. Anointed as the next king while a young shepherd

2. David kills Goliath

3. Plays music for King Saul (don’t you imagine he and his father thought this was the pathway to king?)

4. David becomes King Saul’s son-in-law

5. King Saul sought to kill David—for years

6. David ran and hid with his mighty men

7. David becomes king

Which step(s) would you leave out? If we left out steps 2-6, David would have been a different kind of king. He might never have become a “man after God’s own heart” without the process. And isn’t that the most important thing?

A potter:

1. Kneads the clay

2. Potter knows the design

3. The potter fashions the clay at the wheel with pressure and water

4. If there is failure, the potter remakes the clay 

5. The finished piece dries and is scraped

6. The dried greenware is fired after glazing

7. The pottery is glazed again

It’s all about the process. 

Satan’s Prison

When we choose to sin, Satan has legal authority to trap us. When we continue in that sin, he’ll imprison us. 

Jeremiah 52 tells us about Jehoiachin. He was put in prison by the king of Babylon. After many years, he was brought out, given clothes, a room, food, and an allowance…but he was still in captivity.  

That’s what Satan does. He traps us and imprisons us because of our sin. He’ll entice us to continue in our sin with the promise of power, fame, and money—but he never intends to let us slip out of his control. 

All the while, the jail door is open. God offers us an escape! All we have to do is admit we’ve sinned and turn away from that sin—and we’re set FREE!!!  God offers ABUNDANT LIFE, soul peace, and hope!! He’s also promised to take care of all of our needs. 

Don’t listen to the lies of the enemy. He wants to destroy you. That’s his ultimate goal. Read God’s truth, walk in it, and obey it—let it transform and renew your mind. That’s where freedom is found. When you dig into the word of God, you’ll find true treasures.  

The Outstretched Arm

Anyone older than 40 remembers mom’s outstretched arm. You’d be riding in the front seat of the car (underage and without seatbelts) and she’d come to a screeching stop and her outstretched arm would fly across you and—WHOP! You wouldn’t hit the dashboard (hopefully). You might have whiplash but you’d been saved. God stretches out His arm to rescue you, too. He restrains you to rescue you. 

How many times have you fallen into deep waters (literally or figuratively)? Did you cry out to God for help? We took the youth on a rafting trip a few years ago and we had a boy fall out of the raft and the river took him swiftly down the river.  We were terrified! But when we got close, I think everyone on the raft had their arm extended to reach for him. God desires to pull you out of deep waters with His outstretched arm. He wants to help you. 

Like Moses extending his arm with the rod of God to part the Red Sea and save the people from being killed by the Egyptians, God still raises His arm today. I’ve lifted my arms in faith and prayer and have seen God do the impossible. I’ve seen His outstretched arm heal a marriage, miraculously pay for three weddings, heal a girl of seizures, pay off debt, stop a bullet, bring home a prodigal—and so much more! God wants to do miracles for you, too. 

God’s arm is outstretched toward you! He wants to restrain you to rescue you, reach out to help you, and do the miraculous and impossible. Jeremiah 32:17 says, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.”

Nothing. Absolutely nothing is too hard for God’s outstretched arm. 

Critical Spirit

You disagree with what you’ve just read. What’s your response? That response is so telling. 

Social media has created monsters—even among Christians. We all have a voice…and we’re willing to hide behind a screen and give full vent to an opinion we’d never say to another person’s face. 

I recently saw a sweet photo of Julia Roberts sharing tea and a card game with her niece. People were hateful! Julia was relaxed in her home with no makeup. People were incensed that she’d post a normal, natural photo. She didn’t measure up to their expectations of her—and they were critical and hateful. Never mind she was enjoying time with her niece. 

Do you strike the keys of your phone with a quick response when you disagree with someone’s FB post? Are you quick to judge or be critical? Do you feel “right” and need to set the record straight? Do you have a need to add your own editorial after someone has offered a scriptural post—to show there’s more to think about or that God has shown you more? Do you feel the need to critique and can’t restrain yourself from doing just that? 

Examine yourself for a critical spirit…also known as a pharisaical spirit. Ask God to give you a gentle spirit—a spirit allowing God to change the hearts of others. Ask for a spirit of grace which recognizes we’re all in process of growing and learning. God MAY have you respond. But He’ll never ask you to be critical. He’ll have you speak truth in love. It will be a spirit to edify, love, and help someone grow. 

I encourage you to read all of Ephesians 4. Below are verses 15-16:

“but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

Waiting…Expecting…Twisting

Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait on the Lord, be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart: Wait, I say, on the Lord!”

When you look up the original word for “wait,” it says this: “expect, look eagerly for, hope, bind together by twisting.” It’s the last part of this explanation that’s had me shaking my head trying to figure out what twisting or braiding has to do with waiting. 

In our culture, we think of waiting as being idle. We wait at a red light, wait in a doctor’s office, wait for a friend to show up. But when God talks about waiting, He’s not idle and He doesn’t expect us to be idle either. We’re waiting on God to fulfill a promise, hoping for a good outcome, or eagerly looking for God to invade our situation…all while God patiently binds our hearts to Him. He’s twisting something beautiful as we wait. He picks up a thread of Himself…then a thread of our longing heart…a thread of someone who’s praying with us…a thread of our cries…a thread of someone investing in us…a thread of Jesus praying for us…a thread of our hope…a thread of the Holy Spirit encouraging us…until there’s a beautifully woven piece that displays the handiwork of God! Its no longer one single thread—it’s become strong because of the twisting. It’s not just handcrafted for others to see; it’s a piece of art hanging in God’s gallery to remind us of His goodness and faithfulness. It’s a reminder to agree with God for His perfect outcome every.single.time. It’s a trophy of God’s grace. 

Waiting is hard…but it doesn’t have to be idle. And maybe it shouldn’t be idle. Waiting is expectantly looking with hope for God to fulfill the cries of our heart. All while He is deftly creating something of wonder to hang on His wall.